Ranchi, July 18 : In a tragic incident, the roof of a long-abandoned government school collapsed on Friday morning, killing an elderly man and leaving two others critically injured, officials said.

The accident occurred around 8 a.m. The building once housed a government-run school but had been shut down several years ago due to its unsafe condition.

Despite being declared unfit for use, the crumbling structure continued to be used by some people -- mostly the homeless or poor migrant workers -- as a makeshift shelter.

On Friday morning, a large portion of the roof suddenly gave way with a thunderous crash, trapping the three inside.

Hearing the sound, residents rushed to the scene and informed the police. A team from the Sukhdevnagar Police Station soon reached the spot and, with the help of locals, began rescue operations.

The victims were pulled out from under the debris. The elderly man, identified by locals but not yet officially named by authorities, succumbed to his injuries on the spot. The two others were rushed to a nearby hospital and are said to be in critical condition.

Police have taken the deceased's body into custody and sent it for post-mortem examination.

Residents of the area expressed deep anguish, saying they had repeatedly urged the administration to demolish the abandoned structure, fearing it posed a serious threat to public safety.

"We had warned the authorities several times, but no one listened. This tragedy could have been avoided," said a resident.

In a separate incident, six schoolchildren and a labourer sustained serious injuries when the roof of Royal Valley School in Lariyadih village, under Koderma police station limits, collapsed during heavy rainfall on Thursday. All the injured are currently undergoing treatment at a local hospital.

/IANS